When the Light Goes Out
by Ms. Noemi
Summary: Heaven isn't all fun and games. See how each character deals with their death, or soul mate, or... monsters? Can they save their new home in time? Sort of a sequel to Fade to Black, but can definitely be read without. Let me know what characters you want to see here!
1. Prophet Party With Friends

_**Gates of Heaven, One Month Ago**_

Kevin wakes up with a start. One second, Sam had been walking up to him. After a flash of light and excruciating pain, everything went dark. Kevin is brilliant, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened. The only question is how? What happened?

Realizing he is laying down, the prophet sits up. An older man in a black coat sits in at a table. Even while eating a hot dog, the man radiates an overwhelming sense of posh superiority.

Without looking up, he swallows and articulates, "Hello, Kevin. Seems like you've had a bit of a rough day. Pickle chip?" A second untouched plate is set out on the table.

Kevin rubs his head. As he sits down, he waves his hand to decline.

The strange man shrugs, "Your loss."

"Are you a reaper?" the prophet asks.

The man sets down his meal, looking offended. "Not just a reaper, boy, The Reaper. I would have expected better from you."

After a pause, the realization finally dawns. "You're Death, like with a capital D?"

"Would you expect anything less for a prophet of the Lord?"

The boy's face falls. "So it's true, then. I'm dead?"

A glimmer of sympathy shines in Death's eyes. "Afraid so, very young as well. But don't worry, it's not as bad as you think. At least you aren't in the basement, as your friends like to call it."

"But I don't understand. What happened?"

The reaper brushes off his hands, and Kevin can tell his question won't be answered. Death rises from the table. "I have someone that you may want to meet."

The reaper opens the door behind him. Inside is a pitch black room lit only by a disco ball. Lady In Red plays from nowhere. A man and woman sit on the couch, making out... loudly.

Death clears his throat. "May I present the author of the Winchester Gospel. The great and powerful prophet... Chuck." Disdain oozes from his voice.

The couple, clearly unaware of their visitors, continues their endeavors. Death coughs again, much less polite than the first time. Finally, Kevin taps on the women's shoulder.

She jerks away. Now aware of their guests, the man attempts to wipe the lipstick off his face but only smears it even more. With a double clap, the lights come on and music stops. The floor is littered with pizza boxes and beer bottles. A shelf on the wall holds a long series of short paperbacks with half-naked men on the cover. Besides the couch, the room is devoid of any furniture... at the moment at least.

Death puts a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Chuck, this is Kevin, the prophet after you. He's had a bit of a rough day, so why don't you catch him up and tell him about some of your adventures with the Winchesters."

With a flash, the being disappears. No one felt that he was too eager to stay.

Chuck creates a chair and offers it to Kevin.

"So, you just died, huh..." awkward pause, "how was that?"

"Well, you know... painful... I guess. But I've been thinking. Sam must have been possessed by an angel. He did that eye melty thing to me, so…"

The woman gasps, "That's awful!"

Kevin frowns. "Yeah, but what did Death mean by the 'Winchester Gospel.' Those guys aren't in the Bible are they?"

Chucks eyes light up. "No, that's my best-selling book series, Supernatural. It's all about their lives up until the apocalypse. Here let me grab you a copy."

He grabs the first book on the shelf. The cover has two shirtless men, completely unlike Sam and Dean, posing on a car. Kevin smiles opens the book to a random page.

_Sam's long hair flowed in the wind as the Impala soared down the highway. From the strange look_  
_he gave Dean, the older brother knew that they were about to discuss their feelings._

Kevin chest hurts from laughing so much. Wiping away a tear, he shakes Chuck's hand. "You sir, are my hero."

The author blushes. "It's written pretty poorly, but the story is fascinating. Sam and Dean hate it, of course. Tried to threaten me if I wrote any more books."

Kevin smirks suspiciously, "Can I borrow all of these? I'll return them as soon as I finish reading."

The woman on the couch stands up. "Don't listen to Chuck. They're written beautifully. That's actually how I got into this whole 'other world' thing. I started out just a fan, but then I ended up helping and even married Sam!"

Open mouthed, Kevin drops the book. "You did what?!"

Quickly, Chuck steps in front of her. "Sam was under a love potion. Besides, we all know that Becky's heart belongs to me."

The woman moves next to him. "Yeah, even though you dumped me that one time."

Feeling overwhelmed, Kevin plops into the chair, laughing to himself despite everything that's happened. An hour later, he walks out of the door, arms full of books, and enters his own personal paradise.


	2. Coal in John Winchester's Stocking

_**Mary Winchester's Heaven, Seven Years Ago**_

Mary Winchester is furious. John has literally created her worst nightmare. How dare he raise their children to be Hunters? The way he treats Dean… it's awful. Part of her wants to bash that stupid beer bottle over her husband's head. Sammy was so close. He got away to Stanford, but even that didn't work out.

She turns off the TV, her only connection to the living world. Mary's vaguely aware that her family's doing something stupid back on Earth, but right now she's too angry to care.

Mary curses Fate. Not the idea, the angel.

The mother paces around her living room. Her heaven mirrors what life would have been were it not for Azazel. The only things ruining it are these bits of reality bleeding through.

All of a sudden, the chimney rustles, then clashes, then… curses? Out the bottom rolls John, spewing ash all over the pristine carpet.

Rushing over, Mary embraces her husband. He whispers, "I got out. A whole century of…" he shudders at the thought.

Mary kisses his forehead to reassure him, "You finally made it." She takes in his presence as she wipes the soot off his face.

But then Mary remembers; she's furious. She grabs a pillow and whacks John on the head screaming, "How dare you treat our children like that. Kids should never be Hunters. If they are, how are they supposed to be children?" John opens his mouth to justify and gets another pillow to the chin. "After everything I did for this family…" she continues.

John tears the pillow away. Cautiously, he asks, "What do you mean?"

Mary roughly brushes his hair back into place, her fury under control, but not gone. She huffs, "Let me show you."

Grabbing the remote she flips on the TV. "This shows me everything, past and present."

The next thirty minutes choke John into silence. They watch Mary, age seventeen, begging her parents to let her stop Hunting. A few years later, make the very deal with Azazel that will result in her death. Dean sacrificing everything to raise Sam, while John disappears for weeks on end. Sam, left behind in another city, pulling consecutive all-nighters by the age of twelve to provide whatever research John requires. Dean killing monsters before he can even drive. John telling Sam he can't go to college, shoving his son to the ground when he insists. A father labeling Dean weak for crying after the boy's first fatal collateral damage on the job.

Mary looks over at her husband, his face pale with shock and shame.

"I'm sorry, but I have one more thing to show you," she sighs. "Something far worse... the present."

John frowns. "What's the date… I mean, on Earth?"

"Time in Heaven is a bit more fluid," Mary explains. "You spent a century in Hell, which is about ten months on Earth. But here, time moves faster. So, for reasons I don't really understand, it's still not long after you died."

Back in the real world, Sam and Dean are burning John's corpse, a Hunter's funeral. Both are bloody and beaten from the demon attack and subsequent car wreck. They both clearly need to return to the hospital, but they won't. Were they that messed up the last time their father saw them? Dean doesn't cry. John knows the cause isn't apathy, but either the inability or fear to show emotion. It's how he raised him. And after truly seeing his son for the first time, it seems wrong. Standing there silent and covered in blood, his children look so… unnatural.

The boys vow to continue fighting, because they know it's what John would have said, and they're right. But Sam and Dean don't understand how wrong he was. How badly he wishes he could take it all back. John sees Sam decide to sacrifice his freedom, choose not to go back to college. The idea never even crossed Dean's mind in the first place.

They make a motto, "Saving people, hunting things, the family business."

If Mary hadn't opened his eyes, John would have been proud.

Speechless, he turns to Mary. The weight of his actions crash down on him. John vows to one day apologize to his children, try to make up for his mistakes. But he knows, there's no way to fix this. It's too late.

The television fades to black.


	3. Shooting the Beatles

_**Ellen's Heaven, One year ago**_

The Beatles were playing Ellen's favorite song, until the stage caught fire. "What in the…" she begins.

A figure shifts beneath the rubble, murmuring "That idjit don't know jack squat about releasing souls." As he tries to move, the rest the stage collapses inward. Dust fills the room, and she hears him cough, "Balls!"

"Bobby?" Ellen calls, "That ain't you underneath there, is it?"

"Depends who's asking."

She rolls her eyes, "Oh quit your grumbling, there ain't no reason to be paranoid."

The hostess snaps her fingers and the rubble disappears. Bobby, who had previously been upside down, collapses on his chin. His ball cap slides across the floor.

"Where am I?" the mechanic moans.

Ellen laughs, "Welcome to my personal paradise."

Bobby sits up, "I know that voice." He grabs his cap and puts it on. Turning around, his eyes find Ellen staring down at him. With a lit up face, he embraces his old friend until she can no longer breathe.

"Whoa, easy there!" Pushing him back a little, "How did you end up here?"

"Well, my head." Bobby says matter-of-factly, as if that answers the question completely.

"Yes…" the woman gestures him to continue, unsatisfied with his response.

"I got shot in it." He removes his hat, revealing a clean but deep bullet hole.

"Well, quit your wining. At least you got a few more years out of it than I did."

Bobby hesitates, "…Not as many as you think."

Ellen tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

"I might've spent the past year doing the hellfire-rhumba downstairs."

"Hold on," Ellen grabs two fold-up chairs that Bobby's sure weren't there a second ago. With a single clap, two beers appear in front of her. She gives her guest one of each. "Explain."

Bobby sits down. "No biggie, I got on some demon Crowley's no fly list and landed in the basement instead. But Sam is working on closing the gates of Hell or some hoodoo nonsense, so he grabbed me out and sent me on my way."

She smiles, "Yeah, how are those two boys?"

Bobby rolls his eyes, "Oh you know, in the middle of some stupid fight and one of them's on the verge dying. The usual."

A realization abruptly silences Ellen. "Of course, but do you know why you're here Bobby?"

"Yeah, 'cause Sam…"

"No," she stops him, "Here, as in my heaven… instead of your own?"

Bobby hesitates. He'd been too excited to be out of Hell to think about it. "No, actually. Why, do you?"

"Maybe, but don't you go laughing or making jokes. I didn't chose this, alright?"

Bobby holds up his right hand.

"In Heaven, everybody makes their own paradise." She shifts uncomfortably, "But there are some exceptions to the rules, like Ash. He can come and go wherever he wants. And…"

"And…" Bobby coaxes Ellen on, confused by her sudden lack of confidence.

"…Soul mates. They share their own slice of paradise," she mutters.

Bobby stares ahead blankly. The two of them… together? Ellen awaits the inevitable mockery, until the unexpected happens. Bobby smiles.

"That's fantastic!" Bobby's grin is so big it's almost stupid. Ellen can't help but laugh.

Over in the corner, the Beatles break into applause. Bobby, who had clearly not noticed the band before, jumps back in surprise. Subconsciously, he creates and aims a gun at the rock legends. Ellen tears it away before he can shoot.

"Seriously, the Beatles?" Bobby questions, "Now that I'm here they're gonna have to go."

"In your dreams mister. My heaven, my rules," Ellen points the gun at him with a smile. "I was here first, so you just have to deal with it."

Experience has taught Bobby better than to mess with her. "Fine, they'll do for now. But let me introduce you to some other good music too."

Ellen smiles and make the gun disappear. Bobby snaps and fixes the stage. He kisses Ellen on the cheek. They hold hands and sit down as _All My Loving_ echoes through the room.


	4. Blueberries and Hot Dogs

_**Main Street, Houston, Present Day**_

The TV cracks as Willy Wonka plays. One visitor, Violet, disregards everyone's advice to avoid eating Wonka's gum. The brat inflates as her mother cries, "Violet, you're turning violet!"

But the real excitement happens in the living room of Mr. Pathrose, a nutritionist for teens. His large belly rolls as he sits on his couch and prepares to take his first bite of ice cream.

All of a sudden, his shirt feels too small. Continuing to expand, his stomach pops the buttons off of his shirt one by one. Mr. Pathrose begins to float as he grows, eventually stopping when he bounces against the ceiling.

A man with brown hair and a mischievous smile stands in the corner. He laughs and begins to eat the desert left on the couch.

"Who are you?" wheezes Mr. Pathrose.

"Who, me? People call me Gabe." Taking another bite of ice cream, the man continues with his mouth full, "But you Mr. Pathrose, you... you call people fat. Even do it for a living. You made that one girl cry today."

"Please, help me." His inflated body takes up more than half of the ceiling. Trying to get down, the man wiggles until he faces the ground.

Looking at how helpless his victim looks pinned on the ceiling, Gabriel points at him with a spoon. "You know what? You remind me of these two idiots I know, or rather, their mom and little girlfriend." He finishes off the treat with a large bite. "But don't worry, this is all just deserts."

Just as Gabriel raises his hand, two men fall out of the closet. The first is slim and tall with spiky hair. The second one, wearing the striped uniform from Wiener Hut, looks absolutely ridiculous. The hot dog on his hat bursts into flame, but the kid doesn't seem to notice.

The taller stranger eyes Mr. Pathrose. "Gabriel, what on earth are you doing? And more importantly, how are you alive? I heard that baby brother Lucy got to you."

"He did. I heard that both of you were gone as well, Balthazar."

Balthazar lounges on the couch. "True, I was killed by that B, Naomi. I don't know what happened to little Alfie here though."

The hot dog worker rolls his eyes. "I'm Samandriel and you know it. And yeah, I was killed to... but its complicated."

"So," Gabe begins, "how come we're not all gooey corpses right now?"

Samandriel eyes his brother's latest project on the ceiling. "Gabe, can you let him go?" Gabe rolls his eyes, but complies. He returns Mr. Pathrose back to normal and zaps him to his office so that the angels can get some privacy.

Balthazar sits up, "Back to the question at hand, how did we all get here?"

All of a sudden, noise blares over angel radio. To the neighbors it sounds like a screech or maybe a dying cat, but to the angels it clearly carries an important meaning.

Gabriel sighs, "I'm not going to go."

Samandriel grabs his two brothers by the ears. "Yes you are, its the least we owe these two boys."

They all disappear in a flash of white.

Then, the light goes out.


	5. Shut the Pearly Gates

Hey, just a little summary of Fade to Black. Dean is a demon because of the Mark of Cain. Sam completes the trials to cure him, sacrificing himself in the process.

* * *

_**The Waiting Room, Present Day**_

_The Mark of Cain faded from Dean's arm. The trials were complete._

_"Bitch."_

_"Jerk."_

_Sam was falling into darkness. It wasn't the empty nothingness that he remembered. It was solid and ink and he couldn't breathe. It was smothering. He knew there was an afterlife, but this was blackness and he couldn't breathe. He was suffocating. Air! He tried to hold his breath. His lungs were giving out. He couldn't breathe. Please, no more!_

_He gasped for air and realized…_

_He did not need it._

* * *

Sam sits up with a start. Over at a nearby table resides Death. Allowing the hunter a chance to catch his nonexistent breath, he gestures to a beer and the other chair.

Sam chugs the entire thing in one go. He notices Death's disapproving glare, but after what he just went through, Sam needs it.

Acutely aware of the silence surrounding them, Sam breaks the calm with a groan, rubbing his temples.

"I screwed up didn't I?"

Death's eyebrow rises, "Although you're probably correct, you are going to have to be a bit more specific about which event you are referring to."

Sam laughs dryly. "You were right. I should have come with you after the first trials. Then no one would be in this mess."

"I don't see how your being alive caused such a problem. Are you thinking of something… or someone in particular?"

"Dean," Sam rests his elbows on his knees and sighs. "Kevin."

Death laughs, causing Sam to jump. The sound doesn't match its owner. It's far too young and jovial to be coming from the God of Destruction's mouth.

"Ah yes, little Kevin. You may want to speak with him. Someone seems to have hooked him on a new book series. Perhaps you've heard of it… _Supernatural_?"

Sam groans, and Death hides his grin behind a sip of wine.

Suddenly serious, Death continues. "Sam, the choice to return to Earth was yours alone. Honestly, despite what you think of as complications, I agree with what you did. You saved millions of lives, again. And I am honored to be able to accompany you to the other side one last time."

Seeing the smile on Sam's face, he points a bony finger at the boy. "Don't think that means that I am willing to do so again. You Winchesters have died too many times as it is."

Sam's voice is small. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Depends on what it is."

"This time, can you make sure I stay dead? Every time I come back to life, people get hurt. And, I mean, I would love to say that I'm doing this all for my friends, but I just… I can't go through that again." Death had almost agreed to this term last time. Sam hopes he will do so again.

"Of course, but first, you have a job to do."

The Horseman stands and walks over to the edge of the room. Without another word, he steps through the wall and disappears. Reluctantly, Sam follows, muttering angrily about _Harry Potter_.

The new room is blindingly bright. In fact, the entire place is light. At a closer look, there does not seem to be any walls… or ceiling… or floor. Subconsciously, Sam scoots closer to Death.

Four levers encased in stone sit before the two visitors. One ornate word is carved into each rock: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Limbo.

Sam's curiosity gets the best of him. Finally he asks the angel, "What are these?"

"Before you are The Great Levers. Now that you have completed the trials, you may close the Gates of Hell."

Without hesitation, the Hunter walks up to the stone. The moment his hand touches the handle, the rock morphs into putty. Sam heaves the lever down.

The boy closes his eyes. Waiting for a rumble, or distant screaming, lightening... whatever's supposed to happen. After a moment, he peeks with one eye open. Nothing. Sam is quite disappointed with the anticlimax.

Sam eyes the Purgatory lever sadly, imagining how great the world would be without monsters as well. Death notices and begins conspicuously tying his shoes.

"Well, it would be quite a shame if, while I was distracted, someone who had already completed the trials just happened to close the gates to Purgatory as well. It would certainly be… unfortunate."

Sam takes the not-so-subtle hint. "Casually" leaning on the lever, he shuts the gates to Purgatory as well. The hunter doesn't bother to hide the smile on his face. No more Monsters or Demons, looks like Hunters are out of business.

Voice vacant of any emotion, the angel stands. "Well, let's be off."

The two disappear, leaving nothing but light behind them.


End file.
